The Weekend and Beyond

Here are some things you might like to know for your upcoming travels.

Nasty Weather
There's a good chance of frozen precipitation Saturday night and then again from a second wave on Sunday into Monday. See what the Capital Weather Gang has to say.

Metro Delays
Workers are replacing a section of track at Mount Vernon Square that was involved in last Thursday's derailment, something that already was on Metro's list of weekend projects. Yellow Line trains won't operate between Mount Vernon Square and Fort Totten.

Board a Green Line train for that part of your trip. But both Green and Yellow Line riders should expect delays of about half an hour during the switch replacement project, because trains will be sharing a single track to get around the work zone from 10 p.m. Friday through midnight Sunday, when the rail system shuts down.

I-295 Work Saturday
The District Department of Transportation will be working on joints in the roadway on I-295 on Saturday, Feb. 28, from 7:30 a.m. to 4 p.m. The work zone will be the segment of I-295 over Howard Road and the Suitland Parkway.

The center lane on the southbound side of I-295 will be closed until the work is done. Two travel lanes will be open to southbound traffic and motorists are advised to stay to the far left or right to get through the work zone. Traffic delays are possible, DDOT says.

Closures on Southwest Freeway
Be alert for temporary lane closures on I-395 in the District over the next two months, as part of the rehabilitation of the 9th Street SW Bridge over the freeway.

The bridge work will be done both day and night. On weekdays, starting Monday, March 2, it will require closing one lane on I-395 under the bridge from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. Aditional lane closures will occur between 8 p.m. and 5 a.m. each night. The closings may occur on either side of the freeway.

Traffic delays are possible, notes the District Department of Transportation. Look for variable message signs directing drivers around the closures.

Parking More Expensive
The District is updating its 15,453 meters to reflect rate increases approved recently by the D.C. Council. The District Department of Transportation says all of them should be charging the higher rates by April 30.

Under the new parking fee rules, meters that were charging $1 per hour will charge $2 per hour. The rate at all other D.C. meters will increase by 25 cents an hour.

Telegraph Road
Depending on weather, on either Tuesday night, March 3, or Wednesday night, March 4, Telegraph Road will be closed between Huntington Avenue and North Kings Highway from 10 p.m. to 5 a.m. This is for concrete pouring on the new ramp bridge.

Detours
Northbound Telegraph Road: Right at North Kings Highway, left at Route 1, left at Huntington Avenue back to Telegraph Road.
Southbound Telegraph Road: Left at Huntington Avenue, right at Route 1, right at North Kings Highway back to Telegraph Road.

Also, there were will be temporary overnight lane closures along Telegraph Road during the next two weeks for demolition of the Capital Beltway bridge over Telegraph Road.

Eisenhower Connector
From Saturday, March 7, to Sunday, March 8, the ramp from the outer loop of the Capital Beltway to the Eisenhower Avenue Connector will be closed from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. This is for pile driving to allow widening of the Beltway Bridge at the Eisenhower Avenue Connector. Ramps entering the Beltway from Eisenhower Connector will remain open.

Route 50 Widening
While Virginia has scaled back its long range transportation improvement program because of declining revenue, it is still moving ahead with the planning to widen Route 50 to six lanes near the border of Loudoun and Fairfax counties. The road is six lanes in South Riding but shrinks to four lanes for 3.6 miles from Poland Road to just before Route 28 (Sully Road).

The Commonwealth Transportation Board, which sets the state's transportation agenda, designated the $75 million widening as one of the top priorities in the Northern Virginia's transportation program.

County Adds Smart Boot
Starting TuesdayMarch 3, Montgomery County will make it easier for drivers with three or more delinquent parking tickets to pay their fines on the spot without being towed, though they will have to remove a 16-pound boot from their car.

The new system, called PayLock, uses a mechanical boot that can be instantly unlocked once the violator pays outstanding fines using a cell phone and a credit card. Car owners with more than $1,500 in unpaid parking violations will continue to be towed rather than booted, the county said. Prince George's County began using the system more than a year ago.

Route 450 Sound Barrier
Maryland's State Highway Administration is installing a 672-foot sound barrier along Route 450 (Annapolis Road) near Moylan Drive in Bowie, to cut traffic noise for homes in the Meadow Brook neighborhood. The project should be done early this summer.
Drivers will notice a concrete barrier along the right turn lane of westbound Route 450 to protect the workers. This will keep the turn lane closed through May.

New Howard Signal
There's a new traffic signal at the northbound Route 29 (Columbia Pike) crossover to westbound Interstate 70 in Howard County. Drivers heading north on Route 29 who want to turn left for the I-70 ramp should be alert for the signal.

Howard County Executive Ken Ulman gave credit for the safety improvement to Valerie Noel, who lost her son, Andrew, at the intersection in July. She led the drive to get 6,000 signatures on a petition, Ulman said.

Laurel Station Improvements
A $2.9 million contract to improve the MARC train station at Laurel was approved this week by the Maryland Board of Public Works. The project will replace the platform and rehabilitate the historic station. Gov. Martin O'Malley said he hopes to use part of Maryland's $365 million in highway and transit stimulus money for improvements at other MARC stations.